PandaCub
Active Member
Things have finally dried up here in Wyoming and most of the charted dirt/gravel/grass runways are accessible again. While I've landed at many of these in a Cub (recently sold), I've been hesitant to touch down in my RV-8 with the factory setup. However, a winter upgrade to Sky Designs' 6.00-6 wheels and fairings had me curious how the RV would perform at a nearby dirt runway (49U).
Initial thoughts:
1). After growing accustom the Cub's 29" bushwheels and shock absorbers, the landing roll-out on the RV-8 naturally seemed rough by comparison (although at no time did I feel like I'd lose directional control or damage the aircraft/fairings).
2). Honing short-field techniques to minimize touch-down speed and ground roll is always a good idea.
3). During takeoff I avoid full throttle until the aircraft is moving along briskly (there's nothing like full RPM at standstill to send rocks into your prop, fuselage, or neighbors).
4). Obviously, my personal minimums (runway length, conditions, etc) have increased accordingly.
5). The speed penalty for the larger wheels/fairings is much less than I expected - maybe 2 or 3 knots max - far better than leaving the fairings off, which is more like a 10 - 15 knot reduction. I flight plan for 160 KTAS @ 9 gph ROP (and usually get a little better than that).
My conclusion is that while the RV-8 is no bush plane, the Sky Designs tires and fairings open up a lot of possibilities if one uses proper technique - all of which should be practiced beforehand. I'll add that there is NO WAY I would have landed at this strip with the original wheels and fairings; they would have busted for sure (note photo of the whopping 1" clearance from the pavement). Thanks to Sky Designs, my mains are none the worse for wear and I look forward to seeing Johnson and Moose Creeks again (but cruising at 160 knots instead of 90! ;-)
Check out the photos below to see this particular airstrip's characteristics:
Initial thoughts:
1). After growing accustom the Cub's 29" bushwheels and shock absorbers, the landing roll-out on the RV-8 naturally seemed rough by comparison (although at no time did I feel like I'd lose directional control or damage the aircraft/fairings).
2). Honing short-field techniques to minimize touch-down speed and ground roll is always a good idea.
3). During takeoff I avoid full throttle until the aircraft is moving along briskly (there's nothing like full RPM at standstill to send rocks into your prop, fuselage, or neighbors).
4). Obviously, my personal minimums (runway length, conditions, etc) have increased accordingly.
5). The speed penalty for the larger wheels/fairings is much less than I expected - maybe 2 or 3 knots max - far better than leaving the fairings off, which is more like a 10 - 15 knot reduction. I flight plan for 160 KTAS @ 9 gph ROP (and usually get a little better than that).
My conclusion is that while the RV-8 is no bush plane, the Sky Designs tires and fairings open up a lot of possibilities if one uses proper technique - all of which should be practiced beforehand. I'll add that there is NO WAY I would have landed at this strip with the original wheels and fairings; they would have busted for sure (note photo of the whopping 1" clearance from the pavement). Thanks to Sky Designs, my mains are none the worse for wear and I look forward to seeing Johnson and Moose Creeks again (but cruising at 160 knots instead of 90! ;-)
Check out the photos below to see this particular airstrip's characteristics:
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